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Dr. Dahl Publishes Article on Improving Intelligence Analysis through the Use of Case Studies

May 24, 2017

NSA’s Dr. Erik Dahl has recently published an article in Intelligence and National Security entitled “Getting beyond Analysis by Anecdote: Improving Intelligence Analysis through the Use of Case Studies.” Dahl argues that although American intelligence officials have been trying since the 9/11 attacks to improve the quality of their analysis, they have so far failed to make much use of one of the most common methods used in the social science: case study analysis. Through better use of case studies, Dahl believes, the intelligence community will be able to help policymakers as they wrestle with the many challenges facing the country.

Dahl says he also had a second reason for writing the article: to help NPS students understand what a case study is and how they can use case studies more effectively in their own master’s theses and other work. “My students often ask me,” Dahl said, “How long should a case study be? How do I do one? How many case studies do I need in my thesis? I hope that this article can help them answer some of those questions.”